The present invention relates to a cooler having compartments for storing and keeping perishable food and beverages cold, which can be conveniently carried on a person's back.
Conventional coolers or ice chests typically consist of a large, rectangular box made of an insulated material, into which perishable food items and beverage containers may be placed. Bags of ice or, more commonly, loose ice cubes, may be placed in the cooler to keep the food and beverages cold. Coolers are most often used to keep 12-ounce cans of beverages cold during outdoor recreational activities such as picnics or the like.
Conventional coolers may be carried to the picnic area by grasping handles placed on the lid or sides of the cooler. However, this arrangement suffers from the disadvantage of being unwieldy and difficult for one person to carry comfortably. Carrying a conventional cooler over longer distances becomes a very intensive exercise.
Moreover, conventional coolers usually have only a single large storage area. Removal of certain items from these containers may be inconvenient; for example, the desired item may be located at the bottom of the container beneath chunks of ice and other food items, which must be removed from or shifted around in the container before the desired item can be reached. Further, the melting of ice placed within the container creates a layer of water at the bottom of the cooler which may ruin certain types of foods, such as sandwiches. Additionally, a person desiring a food or beverage item often must reach through loose ice cubes or cold water from melted ice with his or her hand, which has the dual effect of creating physical discomfort and of further melting the ice in the cooler, thereby diminishing the ability of the cooler to keep its contents cold. The use of a single area to store both food items and beverage containers is also inconvenient since beverages are typically retrieved more frequently than food items.
Therefore, there exists a need for a cooler which can be easily carried by one person, and which avoids the inconvenience associated with conventional coolers.